What I've been working on

Here is the dress I was working on, up until the zipper confused me, and now it's on my dogs crate in a plastic bag. What? You may ask, a zipper was your downfall, a failure? Um, yes, I was frustrated, irritated, and my zipper foot was refusing to work with me, so I folded it up and put it away until my mom can help me. She is a Wiz at sewing garments.

The pin cushion (with 6" doll needle sticking out of her head) is my sweet old lady pin-cushion I made forever ago. I drew her face and realized it had to be sewn to something, which turned into her flowery body (which I intended to be more voluptuous, but this was two years ago when I was still in the thick of learning about making patterns).


Okay, it doesn't seem the lighting is right in either of these pic's, but whatever. I've been working on this doll for a couple months now, and she is almost finished, i just have to figure out how to turn her fingers. I finally bought some of those tiny tube turners, but the hands I had sewn together were a double thickness of fabric and refuse to budge. And when they DO start to turn they tear and fray, regardless of the Fraychek I painted them with.

Ah well, I will get started on that once again after I get my sewing machine back from it's general maintenance. It was supposed to take 7 business days, but the guy was really busy, so I probably won't get it back until next week sometime. Which is good, it forces me to blog in order to get rid of my creative anxiety. I have a lot of that lately. More on the doll later, I've got to get ready to drive to Pocatello, ID to pick up my best friend Mindy.

I'm Bad at this

I keep trying to motivate myself into posting more -- but I fail miserably every time. I think of things to blog about, and then put it off... Obliviously, for months. Anyway, I am going to TRY to be better. There is a lot (okay, not much) going on, and I really need to attempt my blogging greatness.

First thing, I have a favorite new author. I love Stephen King, not his horror, but mainly his Dark Tower series, and any book having to deal with it, which is most any book he has written. I believe what I feel for Mr. King can be called a warm fondness. I love his writing style-- which is mainly story telling, you feel like he's right there telling you what is going on.

Anyway, I don't buy books anymore -- I'm neurotic enough that it makes me nervous (What if I don't really like this book? What if I'm wasting my $15, and just feel disappointed with the plot?) -- so I check out books from the Murray Library, where I can randomly select anything from the shelves and not feel one iota of bad if I don't like the book. Back when I was buying books at Costco I read a couple of really great books (Time Travelers Wife, The Shadow of the Wind), the type that make you cry with the knowledge of how the characters must feel. But, there were some bad ones too. The one I believe broke me in regards to buying books was The Thralls Tale.

You may ask, what was so bad about this book? Well, it was a fascinating tale told by a dull writer. Or, the author, Judith Lindbergh, was trying to be so symbolic in her prose and story that it tore the soul out of the book. I forced myself to finish the book, because I bought it, and I believed there had to be a reason that so many people read it. I wouldn't recommend it. If you want it and are willing to pay for shipping, I will gladly send it to you.

Anyway, back to my first point. I have found a new favorite author. His name is China Mieville and he writes AMAZING science fiction. I randomly picked Perdido Street Station off the Library shelf, and instantly thought -- oh, a creature that wants his wings back and the scientist willing to try to get him back in the air... meh. But I checked it out, because the library lets me read anything I want, and doesn't ask any questions. I love the library.
This book is 640 pages of disturbing poetic steam-punk (which means electricity doesn't exist, everything is lit by gas, and nobody is aware of how badly they are polluting the rivers with their toxic waste)(I don't think they'd care if they did know)(and yes, I know you wanted me to define steam-punk, because I had to have somebody else tell me what it means). China prefers large words to small, old words to new, and starts in first gear before revving it up to 120 mph. Which is to say, you get to know the characters intimately before he leads you into the really weird stuff. Before you meet the Weaver, who is, I believe, one of the best fiction creatures ever thought of.
After Perdido I instantly read The Scar. While reading through this book I felt awful I didn't buy it, there are so many quotes that I wanted to highlight -- and I wrote them down, and would type them here for you, but my cat has roosted in my lap. Once he has roosted, I really can't move him
Anyway, read anything my China Mieville. I'm holding off on reading The Iron Council, because I want to save that for when I really NEED to read a good book. I wish Mr. Mieville had a freaking website, perhaps he is too steam-punk in his life to get his ass on top of that. Hm.

Spam-a-Licious

Ah, what a splendid day for a splendid journey through the land of Monty Python. It's a bright, cartoonie place, full of the French spitting taunts and English knights learning all about their sexuality.
Spamalot, a musical "lovingly" ripped off from the motion picture "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," a beautiful picture that features limb slicing kings, dirt mining peasantry, and much, much more. Now, don't expect the musical to be exactly as the movie is, because you will be disappointed. I kept waiting for the nuns/nurses of the Castle Anthrax to dance up and offer Sir Galahad hours of pleasure. Ooh, yes, oral pleasure! Sadly, no. Instead, one should expect some old (yet very loved) jokes, along with many new ones.
My favorites, you ask? Well, of course, you can't deny the French knights that pop up periodically to gross you with their taunts, their very Frenchness. Let's just say there's something to do with flatulence, male bits, and many raspberries spit along the castle brick. Think of a typewriter, only with spitting.
I must also mention the set they danced on. There are some things I'm still trying to figure out how they got to work, such as the Black Knight. How did they so artistically chop both arms and legs from his body? I'd like to say magic, but I'm sure there's something far more rudimentary to it, like mirrors and smoke.
There are some favorite bits from "Holy Grail" they did keep, such as the killer rabbit, the totally cowardly Sir Robin, and flying cows. I throughly enjoyed myself, and if I had a ratings system, I would give it a four-and-a-half Trojan Rabbits out of five. If they would have kept mimes out of it, I'm sure it would have got really close to a five.

The Shark Man

Months and months ago -- maybe back in March?-- I asked a graphic designer co-worker of mine, Dave, if he would like to do a trade. I could make him something and he could design a logo for me. He agreed, he wanted a shark. One with sunglasses.

I toiled for a while, like four months, on how to make him a realistic shark. He loves great whites, so I doodled and sketched but nothing I drew looked realistic to me. And of course, that's what he wanted, something that looks like a, well like a shark. I couldn't push it through my head, it gave me creative constipation. So, I started looking in another direction.

Since I've been studying doll-making and pattern-making, I thought why not create something new? I've always wanted to make demons/monsters, scary things that can't be scary in toy form. Why not? Because toys are not scary if you can cuddle them. What monster lets you hug it?

Therefore, the shark became Shark Man in my head. I sketched it up, drew up the pattern, and was on my way to fulfilling a promise. However, he was not thrilled with my Shark Man proposition. Dave is an artist himself, and I'm pretty sure he enjoys the realistic aspect of thins, how one can take something that exists in the world and re-create using different materials. Okay, that is not me. If something already exists, it exists in one form of perfection. I don't believe in perfection, at least not the type that I can create on my own -- wool felting taught me that.

But, I had already started the Shark Man, so I tried my best to sell Dave on the idea, then decided that I was really creating something for me that I could easily hand over to someone else. I really can't look at my creations for too long, it lets me believe I've accomplished something already, so why make something new?

Now, since I procrastinate, it took me all summer to complete him, but I have to say he's the most awesome "soft sculpture" I've made so far. He's my favorite.

Thankfully, at least I think, Dave likes the Shark Man. He wasn't as enthusiastic as the other people I showed him to, but that's Dave for you. He doesn't really praise openly, he's more subtle. Plus, I think he feels more pressured than ever to get my logo done, which may make him uncomfortable since he has no time. He is a very busy man, since he is quite literally the "Graphics Department" for the station I work for.

In the end though, I'm not sure I care what others think of the Shark Man. I don't do commissions because they constipate my entire creative process -- but a trade, well, I feel like I can get away with more. Anyway, I feel pretty relieved to have this project done, and now I'm planning to move on to making a dress. Sweet.

(Let me add, I sewed a magnet in his mouth so I can eventually make a limb he can dangle from his teeth, to make him look really fierce. And hilarious.)

The Creative Process

I am slower than a tortoise when it comes to my creative process. I take my time thinking about what I'm going to do, then I look at what materials I want to use, then I think about the pattern I would use for the idea and materials, and then I may or may not actually get started on said project. For instance, I'm in the middle of three or five projects. I'm working on my first book, trying to clothe my second cloth doll, I need to attach the legs to my stuffed Italian Greyhound toy, and I think I'm going to get started on a fertility doll soon. As soon as I figure which material (felt, recycled wool sweaters, yarn) I want to use.

It's a never ending process. (A picture of my "crafty area" above...it's a bit cluttered at the moment.)

Last September I interviewed Mimi Kirchner (fantastic doll artist) about her creative process and what drives her. These are things I am always curious about. I set up my digital Marantz recorder and my THAT-2 audio tap (radio equipment I am nerdy enough to own) and called her with a nervous lump in my belly. We talked for an hour, longer than I could have dreamed of, and she was so easy to talk to. The end result was 60 minutes of audio I had to figure out what to do with... cut in six months later when I decided to cut myself out, chunk it into five pieces, and have Mimi tell her story on her own, with only a periodic question from me. She's posted them on her blog here. The first installment is here and the second is here. I'm surprised at all of the responses she's received, they're all really positive. That makes me love the interview art form that much more.

Hilarious!

I am a big fan of Mad TV, they are strange and weird (which I love, especially Bobby Lee), but every now and then they have a skit that presses right up against the frustrations of the day. Here is the link for a skit they did last Saturday, called the "iRack." I laughed so hard, and then I showed it to Alex's family, and they thought it was funny too. I hope you enjoy.

New Couches!

I have been looking at couches for years, hoping against hope to find something modern, leather, and affordable. Then two weeks ago I was wondering through my favorite furniture store (Copenhagen West) when I found a leather couch and loveseat (above with cat on it) with everything I was looking for. They were on sale "as is" because the leather isn't plush enough and the cushions aren't attached...but, I figured it's a great deal and I should jump on it...compulsively, without Alex there.
I also bought an entertainment center for the TV downstairs:

It has a walnut veneer and lies low to the floor, simple, modern, and relatively cheap.
So, today we will reorganize our front room to make it look respectable. Both Alex and I have moving furniture, but if it will give us a place to actually visit with people when they come by and visit, it will be worth it. Plus, the red couch we had in the front room attracted cat hair like a freaking black hole, but instead of sucking it into nothingness it just gave itself a coat of it. It's pretty bad, even after vacuuming the whole thing I swear I could crochet a sweater made of cat hair. I don't know why, but the mere thought sends my stomach turning.

In the crafting corner I'm working on a greyhound, as soon as it's finished I'll post some photos.